If you have been injured by a defective product, a car accident or a fall, there is no formal deadline to seek medical treatment. Nevertheless, seeking treatment as soon as possible is strongly advised for both your health and the strength of your legal position.

This applies even to work related injuries. Even though there is no specific deadline for seeking medical attention, prompt action is advisable for mainly two reasons:

Delaying medical treatment can jeopardize your claim; insurers might argue that you got worse because you didn’t act fast enough, or they may question whether the injury even happened at work if there’s no medical record right away;

Getting medical care right away can make all the difference between a smooth recovery and long term complications. Right after an accident, you might feel it’s fine or think it’s nothing serious. That’s common because your adrenaline is high, and some injuries don’t show symptoms immediately but that doesn’t mean they aren’t serious. For example a back injury from lifting something heavy might just feel like a minor strain at first, but without proper medical attention, it could develop into a long term spinal issue or chronic pain.